Get the latest news about BPI and our work. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This July we issued $650,000 in grants in the US and around the world. And we're just a really tight cohort, and we see each other as family because we've been through the same struggles and we got the same education. College Behind Bars, which airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a rare window into the U.S. correctional system. College Behind Bars is the inspiring, emotional, and deeply human story of men and women struggling to earn college degrees while in prison for serious crimes. DAVIES: Sebastian Yoon, what about connecting with your family? DAVIES: Yeah, this business of counts - I mean, Sebastian Yoon, do you want to explain this? By signing up for BPI emails, you are agreeing to receive news and updates from BPI. Neither had been in a maximum security . College Behind Bars is an intimate look at the lives and experiences of a dozen BPI students and their families that confronts and challenges conventional wisdom about the purpose of both education and incarceration. This July we saw a major legislative victory in New York, spearheaded by BPI alumni. And I think what surprised my father the most was just how much I transformed while I was incarcerated. I can give them different types of advice. While my clothes are in the washer, because its right across the street from me, Ill run back upstairs and start cleaning my apartment for the week. DAVIES: And from the graduation ceremony of the Bard Prison Initiative. That kind of thing. Mostly I stop at Queensbridge Park, but there are times when I ride the bike lane all the way to the end of Astoria. Great to have all of you. And I think it bred for me empathy, which is something that I didn't have a lot of when I was a teenager. In four years of study they become scholars, shatter stereotypes, reckon with their pasts, and prepare to return to society. The type of things that are available to people in prison currently are somewhat outdated. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Lacy Aaron Schmidt was just 14 when he murdered his ex-girlfriend, Alana Calahan, in Columbia County, Georgia. Are children allowed in Turkish prisons? I'm done. TATRO: You know, one of the great things about, you know, Bard is that it's recognized that it's not enough just to, you know, kind of issue a degree and give someone an education, send them back out into society. YOON: So I believe that, you know, the degree is just a piece of paper, and I think there's too much significance tied to the degree. Turkish prisons do not have a specific policy regarding children, but in general, they are not allowed in prison. DAVIES: Sebastian Yoon, tell us what it was like getting started in these classes. So, to savor this rich, hot drink in my hand is so fabulous with cinnamon, not too much sugar. But for the men gathered on this October afternoon, it. I went on to work for Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney on his attorney general campaign here in New York. The Residency leads to an ongoing community of practice that builds on over a decade of cultivating a nationwide network of leading universities and colleges in the field, through the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison. I'm Terry Gross. DAVIES: And if you're in class when it's time for a count, what happens? If this kind of opportunity were widely available and the sort of foundational skills made possible, a lot more people could take advantage of it. I finished my degree in the spring of 2018. But as we got to know the students, we began to understand the circumstances of their lives, which, as you say, were complicated, sometimes tragic, often involved exposure to violence and other tragic experiences. But I usually put on jazz or R&B. Learn more about Pell restoration on our blog. I was a very precocious child. I sit in there for about 30 minutes with my phone on the side playing music. Simpson and Fritsch have a new book called "Crime In Progress." Let's listen. GROSS: FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. DAVIES: You know, I was going to ask about relations with, you know, other prisoners. Meg & Tomas Bergstrand; Regina K. Scully; The Lise Strickler & Mark Gallogly Charitable Fund; a fund at The New York Community Trust; Patty Quillin through the Meadow Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation; Barbara & Richard Novick; Chicken & Egg Pictures; The William H. Donner Foundation; Hartley Film Foundation; Bertha Foundation; The Harnisch Foundation; Compton Foundation; and Lisa Philp; and members of The Better Angels Society: WebCollege Behind Bars, which airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a rare window into the U.S. correctional system. I thought it was incredibly well done in all ways. We're in the business of education. You have this big smile on your face when you're leaving the auditorium and the mess hall. I may watch Netflix, but I generally just read. And I always remember, no, no, no. My family took care of me for 12 years while I was in prison, and now I'm in a position in life where I can support and be there for them. YOON: There's this moment where you walk past his door, and all you see is curtains and officers waiting in, like, rows. Ken Burns is executive producer. You know, it's interesting. And one of the reasons that we had to focus so hard and have that - the discipline that we had in this program is so that we could focus on the work and get the work done in a place where there's a lot of stress, pressure and distractions. Confronted with the "inhuman monotony" of life behind bars, Mr. Hall became a serious student, ultimately gaining admission to the Bard Prison Initiative, a competitive, full-time degree program run by Bard College. And the paradox here is that I was someone getting that type of education while I was in prison, but the education itself is what liberated me. Become a BPI supporter today and join a passionate community that believes in the power of education. 2026. And the Bard Prison Initiative has had 600 graduates be released over the last 20 years. Congratulations. Parts One & Two. TATRO: By the way, you know, the recent research shows that for every dollar a state invests in college and prison, it saves $4 to $5 in re-incarceration costs. Colleges or universities partnering in the Consortium. Both of you went into prison as teenagers and came out as young men. GROSS: Tomorrow on FRESH AIR, our guests will be Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch, the former Wall Street Journal reporters who formed Fusion GPS, a private research company. The recent PBS series, College Behind Bars, chronicles Mr. Halls eventual parole and release in 2015. And so yeah, that is a huge impediment to trying to learn. How College in Prison Turns Around Lives and Saves Taxpayers Money, Knowledge & Redemption, A Conversation with Lynn Novick and Jule Hall, Incarcerated People Can Do More than Beat Harvard in a Debate. And they are first eligible for an associate degree, and then if they can that, they can apply to get a bachelor's degree. We, you know, without quite realizing at the beginning, have ended up exploring this really deep question. This is the thing we know how to do, and we happen to do it here. DAVIES: Yeah. But one of the things that was also great - there are instances where the other prisoners would accommodate us, where they would say, you know, the Bard guys are working at this table; let's go over here and make noise, or, like, the Bard guys are in the room - in their rooms studying. Born Behind Bars is a documentary series that takes place in a maximum-security prison in Indiana. I mean, I think, you know, having taught in the program myself, you walk into class, and the students are there. And there was a tremendous void. (SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "COLLEGE BEHIND BARS"). But I thought what just happened in the auditorium was also reality. I have to really compete with mostly older women to get my clothing washed. These programs transform the negative impacts of criminal punishment and create radical inroads of access and opportunity to higher learning. YOON: But to those who would ask that question, Dave, you could also ask them, would you ask the same question of students who are out here? I realized that all my experiences and my skills were related to prison work. I'm Terry Gross, and this is FRESH AIR. college behind bars where are they now. That was not our experience at all. Parts 3 and 4 air Tuesday. And I remember walking in and seeing men like me in prison uniforms, except that they were speaking Mandarin. With so much at stake, BPI is doubling down on our commitments to national engagement in policy and practice including The BPI Summer Residency for emerging programs and practitioners. DAVIES: And that's from the documentary "College Behind Bars," directed by our guest Lynn Novick. A QUIET START I allow myself to sleep no later than 7:30, because on a weekday I get up around 5. Mr. Hall is the first formerly incarcerated person to be hired full-time by the Ford Foundation, where he works as a program associate, developing strategy and analyzing data for grants to advance, gender, racial and ethnic justice. Prison has the worst coffee, oh, my goodness thats one of the things I think anybody would tell you. Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: You've just tried to add this video to My List. DAVIES: And your dad went through some really tough times, sent you to Korea when you were little 'cause he was trying to find a way to keep things together. DYJUAN TATRO: You know, one of the most salient moments for me in my time in BPI is my first time walking in to the Bard library at Eastern Correctional Facility. Part of our job is to provide grants and support to other organizations and individuals who are working towards social justice reform. To learn more about the restoration of TAP, read Jessica Neptunes the Director of National Engagement blog post here & Executive Director, Max Kenners, letter to our supporters here. Confronted with the inhuman monotony of life behind bars, Mr. Hall became a serious student, ultimately gaining admission to the Bard Prison Initiative, a competitive, full-time degree program run by Bard College. And I will say this - when we started the project, sometimes people would say to us, oh, most people in prison will say that they're innocent and they didn't do the crime that they're there for. Since its first cohort in 2001, BPI students have earned over 52,000 credits and more than 550 Bard College degrees. And school was just really too easy. Get the latest news about BPI and our work. Prison is not an easy place to get an education. We always have to be mindful of how those people like myself are returning back to their communities and back to their families. College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary film series directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns, tells the story of a small group of incarcerated men and women struggling to earn college degrees and turn their lives around in one of the most rigorous and effective prison education programs in the United States the Bard Prison Initiative. Others that have to do, you know, kind of routine prison jobs instead of being in class - was there jealousy or resentment? Sometimes, it could take six hours. NOVICK: You know, Sarah and I, when we got into the project, we were focusing on the transformational aspect of it, power of education, and what did it mean to get this education while in prison? Ken Burns is executive producer. Did you feel yourself changing as you moved through these courses? 4/22/2019 With Botstein onboard as a producer, Novick set out to direct what became the four-part PBS docuseries "College Behind Bars." Executive produced by Burns, the documentary examines mass. And I just want to - after the euphoria of graduation, I mean, you certainly - you know, you had this terrific asset, this college degree that a lot of ex-offenders don't. NOVICK: I'd just add that one of the really remarkable things about this program is that the admissions process is looking for people who have kind of intellectual curiosity and determination. It radiates and ramifies throughout my entire family structure, you know? Our associate producer of digital media is Molly Seavey-Nesper. Please consider giving a gift to support BPIs groundbreaking work to redefine college access in America and to counter the harm of mass incarceration. What was that time like for you? Read BPIs open letter here. And they really love to engage the professors and each other, and that was true for every single class. And I kind of froze in place and just looked around the room and just felt really, really inspired. They both earned college degrees and are now employed. When I look at the scenes of the classroom in the documentary - it's a four-part documentary, and there are a lot of scenes - these classes are a lot more orderly and focused than I remember any of my college or high school classes being. College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick takes you on an intimate journey of a dozen BPI students who are earning their college degrees while incarcerated. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. So that was, like, really, really kind of humbling to see that type of support from the general population. The doc is also a moving portrait of individuals determined to defy the odds and build a better future for themselves.. When we come home now, we often help each other get jobs. A new PBS documentary series follows prisoners who earn college degrees while serving time. And he said - he says to me, you stood up. Our stories, our lives, they are influenced by a great number of people. I'm going to ask each of you to give me your first impressions here. I worked as a cook. I'm interested in your take on this - whether vocational programs should be there. For 26 years, BPI joined other advocates in championing the return of Pell eligibility for incarcerated students. My mother left me and my siblings when I was 5, so my dad raised us three - my older brother and my sister - by himself. So you have this problem where you have to try to juggle these two realities, one of which is so beautiful and one of which is so dark and disgusting where you have to reveal your body and your orifices. Teaching resources for CONTACT: Eric Koch | ericdkoch@gmail.com We see him, don't we? I'm Terry Gross. I was in a poor, disadvantaged community, and I ended up at a very young age in gangs. Since 2001, BPI has created groundbreaking opportunities for college within Americas prison systems. NOVICK: Yeah. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. College Behind Bars is a production of Skiff Mountain Films and is directed by Lynn Novick. So, you know, the - in the Greek, liberal arts education literally means education worthy of a free man. And before the 1994 Clinton crime bill, there were college programs in almost every correctional facility in America. So I grew up in Flushing, Queens. The faculty generally find this experience so energizing because of that exact thing - that they have to sort of - if they're teaching a course on the Bard campus and in BPI, they actually have to make the BPI version a bit harder, get more assignments and, you know, up the reading because the students are just so eager for the material and expect so much. While I have little tastes for things, I dont make an elaborate breakfast. Yoon and Tatro earned college degrees taking rigorous courses taught by Bard College faculty in a maximum-security prison. DAVIES: Lynn Novick, congratulations on the documentary. And when we leave this room tonight, there is now something that can be taken away from you that's completely different than when you walked in. They spoke with FRESH AIR's Dave Davies. In the beginning, you don't even know how to use a comma. Who among us is capable of academic excellence? Incarcerated men and women in New York State are admitted to the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), one of the most rigorous co, Sebastian, Dyjuan and Tamara reflect on the difficult circumstances of their childhood, while the debate team prepares to, The debate union faces their rival across the river, West Point. For 22 years he didnt have one. And within, you know, a month, they're doing college-level reading and writing. DAVIES: There was a time when higher education in correctional facilities was pretty common. Good job. DAVIES: Wow, that's really remarkable. My father never saw me as a bad person. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. And, you know, spending time in the classrooms - as Sarah Botstein, the producer, and I did - I kept thinking, I wish I could go back to college and have this experience because it is - the classes are small. It's not our business. The majority were first arrested as minors. The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) works to redefine the availability, affordability, and expectations typically associated with higher education in America. Max is the founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative, and Rodney received his bachelor's degree from Bard College in 2017 through the Bard Prison Initiative. And I just wonder if you could reflect a bit on how it might have changed you - Dyjuan. This is not my identity. Otherwise, you're not doing them any favors. Adult learners are, you know, much more mature and have life experience. Get the latest news about BPI and our work. to What will the field of college-in-prison look like? Hes a regular at the local Starbucks, where he takes his coffee with cinnamon, not too much sugar.. College Behind Bars first premiered Nov. 25, 2019 on PBS and has since then become popular among Netflix audiences. And that's not to say that it's not challenging, but that is to point to the fact that, if we support people transitioning back in society in the right way, they'd be capable of almost anything, you know? We will hear Sebastian Yoon first and then we'll hear Dyjuan Tatro. NOVICK: I was just going to chime in one other thing, which is I've heard Dyjuan, Sebastian and the other students, as well as Max, say that, you know, it also just sort of changes the culture of the whole facility and that, you know, there's something positive going on and that people don't want to get in trouble so that they have an opportunity to be there, to stay there and to potentially be involved in the program. By creating an account, you acknowledge that PBS may share your information with our member stations and our respective service providers, and that you have read and understand the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary film series directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns, tells the story of a. Vocational training is fine, but we should also be having an opportunity for higher education. Sign up for the College Behind Bars newsletter to learn more about the film and events nationwide. One of the Bard professors said, you know, I don't have all these multimedia tools that you do in a big institution, but when you're in a class where everybody's done the reading, you don't need them as much. Fact: In spring 2021 the NYS legislature passed the bill, and it was signed into law in July 2021. And it has had a profound impact on my personality and just the way that I move through the world today. Even after you graduate, as long as you are in a prison in which Bard Prison Initiative operates, you're allowed to take courses. During the 2016 presidential campaign, they were hired by Republicans and then by Democrats and investigated connections between Trump and Russia. College Behind Bars, the four-part documentary about the transformative power of education, premiered nationwide on PBS in November 25, 2019. TATRO: Yeah. Parts 3 and 4 air Tuesday. And in the context of the '90s and the tough-on-crime rhetoric and the super predator kind of, you know, demonization of people who have been convicted of crimes, as part of the Clinton crime bill, there was an amendment to withdraw eligibility for Pell grants for people who were in prison. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. As a result, the number of college-in-prison programs in New York. No, I'm done. College Behind Bars is directed and produced by Lynn Novick; produced by Sarah Botstein; edited by Tricia Reidy ACE; produced by Salimah El-Amin and Mariah Doran; original music by Jongnic Bontemps; cinematography by Buddy Squires ASC and Nadia Hallgren. A scholar who has taught in prison weighs in on 'College Behind Bars,' which airs Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS. At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. So once that happened, almost all those programs vanished - went from about 800 programs to fewer than 10. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Could you talk just a little bit about the process? The recent PBS series, " College Behind Bars ," chronicles Mr. Hall's eventual parole and release in 2015. You know, what's striking about this program is that - I think a lot of people who think about ways that prisons can help incarcerated people get jobs when they get out of prison is to provide vocational training - you know, teach people to be welders or auto mechanics or, you know, stuff like that. John & Catherine Debs, The Cousins Foundation, Inc., Abrams Foundation, Schwartz/Reisman Foundation, Ted Dintersmith & Elizabeth Hazard, McCloskey Family Charitable Trust, and Donna & Dick Strong.
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